GUYS! Today before I left for work, for some reason I grabbed The Age of Innocence (which I've never read) to read on the train. I enjoyed the few chapters I read a good deal. So then, I'm home early enough to catch Final Jeopardy -- and it was the answer! HOW WEIRD IS THAT.

I enjoyed The Age of Innocence. It's basically the precursor to Gossip Girl.

GUYS! Today before I left for work, for some reason I grabbed The Age of Innocence (which I've never read) to read on the train. I enjoyed the few chapters I read a good deal. So then, I'm home early enough to catch Final Jeopardy -- and it was the answer! HOW WEIRD IS THAT.

Awesome, I love coincidences like that!

_________________But if one were to tickle Pluto, I suspect that it might very quietly laugh. - pandacookie

55k usd is like 4 cad or whatever equivalent in beavers you use on the island - joshua

I finally finished Dracula! It took me so long (almost 2 weeks), and that was my 2nd read. Now I can watch the lectures for my course. Good thing I'm not doing this for a grade because I'm 2 weeks behind now.

_________________A pie eating contest is a battle with no losers. - amandabear

I finished The Ringmaster's Daughter, which was just very odd. Incredibly creative, but also big twist at the end that made me feel funny.

Now I'm reading Orange is the New Black and loving it. I find the actual Piper much more endearing than the Netflix character. Or at least she's recalled herself in a manner that it endearing, maybe she was kind whiny (justifiably) but didn't write herself in a negative light. I dunno, but I'm really enjoying it.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk

_________________"Your mother was a superstitious hamster, and your father smelled of elderberry (right before he died of an untreated infection). Now go away, before we taunt you with your credulous magical thinking a second time!" - Desdemona

Well, maybe the kittens aren't a "large" role in the story, but they were to me!

I loved the kittens' roles in this. The way the narrator spoke of them endeared me to him a little more.

I'm reading The Magicians, and so far I lurve it.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk

I finished listening to Dave Eggers' The Circle on commutes and at times I found it compelling, but the ending was so dull. It was just "that book" that so many contemporary authors are writing about social media and I expected a bit more from Eggers.

I just started Into Thin Air by Jon Krakaeur yesterday (audiobook). So far it's really good. I tend to avoid reading unpleasant things so will see if I can finish it. I need to go google some photos to get an idea of the locations.

Inside Scientology was pretty good. When L. Ron Hubbard died, according to the book, he was on anti-anxiety/psychosis medication! The whole thing just really reminds me of the plot of an early Bond movie. LRH even looked a little like Auric Goldfinger. But, you've got insidious world domination plots, henchmen in jumpsuits (sea org uniforms) running around and busy doing things that make little sense, code names out the wazoo for everything, and they even have at least two "spy" offices. Considering LRH got his start as a pulp fiction and penny per word writer, this probably isn't too surprising. And all this is the from the book praised for being neutral and unbiased.

I have Jenna Miscavige Hill's book in my Audible queue.

_________________"This is the creepiest post ever if you don't know who Molly is." -Fee"a vegan death match sounds like something where we all end up hugging." -LisaPunk

I loved that one! I really want to read his second book, but keep forgetting about it. I wonder if the library has it...I also want to read Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Finished Wicked a few nights ago. It was...ok. There were a few too many circuitous conversations about the nature of evil (I mean, I get that that's probably the point, but they don't need to go on for pages!) and I didn't really like the way Elphaba turned out in the end. Also, there was a lot of weirdly sexy bits. I don't know if I was turned off by that because I just wasn't expecting that out of this particular book or they were a little too gratuitous or what. I mean, normally I'm a fan of sex, as long as well written and in the right sort of book.

Anyway, I have no idea what I'm going to read next. I have a tiny book written by a friend of mine that he self published that I need to read so I can go ahead and tell him I read it (I'm hoping it's not awful, because awkward, but I'm worried that it might be). But I think I'd rather start with the second book in the Foundation series. Maybe I can power through my friend's book and the reward will be Asimov.

_________________But if one were to tickle Pluto, I suspect that it might very quietly laugh. - pandacookie

55k usd is like 4 cad or whatever equivalent in beavers you use on the island - joshua

Fing A . I finished The Age of Innocence, which I was LOVING, until the end. I'm pretty darn livid. I spent many years thinking that to be lonely and not get what/who you wanted was romantic and like something out of an old novel. And then I learned that that is bullshiitake. And now this book I was loving turns out to be the f-ing paragon of that sentiment. fork you Edith.

I finished Frankenstein. I must not have been paying much attention the first time I read it, because I found Victor absolutely insufferable this time through. God, what a whinger. He needed a smack.

I read Morrissey's Autobiography on my mini-holiday. It was so good. I didn't know what to expect - I'm a fan of Morrissey/The Smiths, but I do find him a bit unbearable at times. But it was really well-written. The only parts I didn't like were the fat-shaming bits and the obvious hypocrisy of his non-veganism*. I also can't help but think he suffers from body dysmorphia to some extent, and that his self-loathing isn't just schtick - he repeatedly mentions not understanding how people found him attractive or loveable, and he says that the only time he almost considered himself attractive was in the video for "The More You Ignore Me...". I've read loads of music (auto)biographies this year, and this was the best by far.

I'm now back to reading for the Coursera course - short stories and poems of Hawthorne and Poe.

*He devotes pages to talking about how disgusted he is about animal consumption and will get up and leave if someone eats animals around him, but he couldn't manage to source a vegan birthday cake for one of his bandmates who didn't eat eggs or cream.

_________________A pie eating contest is a battle with no losers. - amandabear